Dial illuminator for telephones



July 1, 1941.

J. R. SUNDEE DIAL ILLUMINATOR FOR TELEPHONES Filed May 4, 1939 lElVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented July 1, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DIAL ILLUMINATOB FOR TELEPHONES John R. Sundee, Bufialo, N. 1., assignor to John s. Steigerwald, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application May 4, 1939, Serial No. 271,752

6 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in illuminating attachments or accessories for the dial type of telephones.

It has for one of its objects to provide a dialilluminating device for telephones which is so designed that it can be readily applied to and removed from the telephone, which does not in any way interfere with its working parts, and which dispenses with the use of fastenings in its unitary association with the telephone.

Another object of the invention is to provide a telephone accessory of this character which is simple and inexpensive in construction, and which is fully automatic in operation so as to effect the illumination of the dial when the user picks up the receiver to dial a call and to switch off the dial-lighting lamp when the receiver is replaced and in normal position on the instrument.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a telephone showing my illuminating attachment associated therewith. Figure 2 is a front view'thereof showing the attachment in operative illuminating position. Figure 3 is a sectional side view of the same, showing the inoperative position of its parts in full lines and the operative position of its parts in dotted lines. Figure 4 is a detached, exploded perspective view of the jointed parts constituting the lamp-bearing bracket. Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the control lighting switch circuit.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

My dial illuminator has been designed as a self-contained unit for ready attachment to and removal from the telephone without fasteners of any kind and is automatically rendered operative and inoperative when the phone is put into and out of use. By way of example, it has been shown in connection with a hand set telephone of ordinary construction wherein l0 indicates its base, II the combined transmitter and receiver including the handle [2 which is normally supported on hooks l3 applied to the upper end of the base and which normally rests upon and depresses the instrument switch bar M in circuit-opening position, but which, when lifted from the hooks, permits the switch bar to be raised, as shown by full lines in Figure 2, to render the telephone circuit operative. Applied to the base is the call-number dial l5 which the improved accessory is'designed to illuminate to thereby facilitate the use of this type of telephone.

In the preferred embodiment of this dial illuminator shown in the drawing, the same consists of a holder i6 having a recess or well I! therein shaped to the contour of and adapted to receive the base of the telephone, in the manner shown in Figure 3, and rising from the rear side of this holder is a jointed lamp-carrying bracket which is disposed in cooperative relation with the telephone handle 12 and switch bar M so as to automatically eifect the illumination of the dial when the phone is lifted from the hook.

This lamp-carrying bracket consists of pivotally jointed arms l8 and I9 adapted for vertically-swinging movements relative to each other and to the telephone and holder, the lower or upright arm l8 being pivoted at 20 to the rear side of the holder l6 and having 2. lug 2! projecting inwardly therefrom and extending into a recess 22 formed in the bottom rear side of the holder. A spring 23 is disposed at the pivoted lower end of the arm I8 for constantly urging said arm in an outward direction or to seek the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 3. The companion arm 19 is disposed substantially horizontally in overhanging relation to the upper Forwardly of its pivot 24, the overhanging arm I9 is provided with a lateral pad or extension 26 which is so disposed as to register with and rest upon the top face of the instrument switch bar I4, in the manner shown in Figure 3, and in which position the handle l2 of the combined receiver and transmitter is engaged with the hooks i3, such handle resting upon the top side of the arm-extension to retain the bracket in its non-illuminating position. The late al extension 26 is so formed that it is adapted to ride over the rear portion of the telephone hooks l3 during the swinging movements of the jointed bracket to and from the light-governing position. Forwardly of its lateral extension, the arm i9 is provided with a hood or deflector 2'! and fitted therein is an electric lamp 28 which is included in an electric circuit governed by a suitable switch operatively controlled by the armlug 2! in response to the swinging movements of the bracket arms ll, l9. This switch includes a ilxed contact 29 and a companion movable conmoved into switch-closing position by said lug when the arm I8 is swung from a full line to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3.

In the non-use position of the telephone, the bracket arm I! is disposed substantially horizontally with its lateral extension 28 disposed between the instrument handle I! and switch bar H. In this position of the parts the lug 2| 01' the bracket arm I I is in its lowered position and the switch contacts 29, 30 are open so that the circuit of the lamp 28 is likewise open. When it is desired to use the phone and the instrument handle I2 is lifted from the hooks l3 to close the telephone circuit, the Jointed bracket l8, I9 is automatically swung from the full line to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3, the lug 2! being swung upwardly to close the switch contacts 29, 30 to cause the dial I! to be illuminated. When the instrument handle is again placed on the hooks of the telephone, it encounters the extension 26 of the bracket arm l9 and forces it from the dotted line to thefull line position shown in Figure 3 and automatically eifects the opening of the lamp circuit.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dial illuminator for telephones having a displaceable switch bar and a receiver, comprising a holder adapted to detachably receive a telephone, a Jointed bracket rising from one side of said holder and in spaced relation to the telephone for movement to and from a predetermined position and having a lamp-bearing portion at its upper end disposed for operative bearing engagement with and governed in its movements by the joint action of the switch bar and receiver to operative and inoperative positions, and a switch included in the circuit of the lamp and disposed in operative relation with said bracket for closing the switch in one position thereof and opening it in the other position thereof.

2. A dial illuminator attachment for telephones having a displaceable switch bar and a coperating receiver element, comprising a holder, a jointed lamp-bracket rising from one side of said holder and including a substantially upright arm pivoted at its lower end to the holder and an arm overhanging the holder and pivoted at one end to the upper end of said upright arm and provided at its other end with a lamp, that portion of the overhanging arm, between its pivot and the lamp being adapted for disposition between the switch bar and the cooperating element of the telephone, and a lamp-governing switch disposed in operative relation with said upright arm.

3. In a dial illuminator for telephones having a displaceable switch bar and a receiver normally engaged therewith, a holder adapted for detachin illuminating relation torthe telephone dial,

and a switch mounted onsaid holder in operative association with the bracket for closing the switch in one position of the latter and opening the switch in its other position.

4. A dial illuminator attachment for telephones having a displaceable switch bar and a cooperating receiver, a lamp-governing bracket rising from comprising a holder having switch thereon, a pivoted said holder for movement to and from a predetermined position and having an arm thereon in cooperating relation with said switch for governing its opening and closing movements, and a lamp-bearing arm mounted on the upper end of said bracket in overhanging relation to the holder and adapted to extend between the displaceable switch bar and receiver of the telephone.

5. A dial illuminator attachment for telephones having a displaceable switch bar and a cooperating receiver, comprising a holder having a lampgoverning switch thereon, a pivoted bracket rising from said holder for movement to and from a predetermined position and having an arm thereon in cooperating relationwith said switch for governing its opening and closing movements, 2. spring connected to said bracket for urging it in a direction to close said switch, a lamp-bearing arm pivoted to the upper end of said bracket in overhanging relation to the holder and adapted to extend between the displaceable switch bar and receiver of the telephone, the receiver when in place on the switch bar retaining the bracket and its armin a switch-opening position, and a spring interposed'between the bracket and said arm for urging the latter to seek a position displaced from the switch bar when the receiver is lifted therefrom for use.

6. A dial illuminator for telephones having a cooperating switch bar and receiver, comprising a holder adapted to support a telephone, and a combined switch-governing and lamp-carrying member movably supported on said holder and having a portion overhanging the holder in spaced relation thereto, and extending between and cooperating with the switch bar and companion receiver of the telephone, whereby to control the movements of said member to and from illuminating position in response to the movement of said receiver from the switch bar and its replacement in normal engagement with such bar.

JOHN R. SUNDEE. 

